"That house was the perfect house, whether you like food or sleep, orstorytelling, or singing, or just a mixture of them all. Merely to be there wasa cure for weariness, fear, and sadness." JRR Tolkien

Thursday, June 16, 2016

I've been thinking about my nineteen year old niece a lot lately. She lives in Kentucky and has recently been here in Vermont visiting. I was blessed to be able to spend quite a bit of time with her during her month long visit. We've always been close, I was present in the delivery room and watched her make her grand appearance into our lives.

Through the years our lives entwined and we have grown to know each other more and more. Each visit, either Hannah in Vermont or me in Kentucky, brought us closer, as we shared ice creams and thoughts, memories and ideas, secrets and surprises; laughter and tears.

I've watched her grow from a little girl, once introverted, into a young woman, courageous enough to share her thoughts and feelings with me. Trusting her thoughts and feelings to another has not been an easy thing for Hannah and I consider myself privileged that she opens her heart to me more and more.

Somehow, for me, Hannah's last visit to Vermont created not just a stronger bond with her, but a different kind of bond. I'm not sure how to explain it. It's just good. And satisfying. Like warming your hands on a hot cup of cocoa on a cold, snowy, winters' day.

Hannah is "one of my girls". She holds a big piece of my heart. She is one of the most caring and thoughtful people that I know.

I miss her. A lot. More this time than usual. I'm already counting the days until September when I fly down to see her again.

Saturday, April 4, 2015

My husband and I have very recently had a new grandson born. With one phone call, "at the drop of a hat", we drove nearly 5 hours to be there with our daughter, Kelly, our son in-law, Nathaniel, and to greet baby Caleb when he arrived. We barely slept a wink that night because of praying every moment. Praying for strength, peace, health, well-being, wisdom, you name it.

After being in labor all night, Kelly's doctor told her that she felt it was necessary to perform a c-section. Every time she had a contraction the baby's heart beat would drop dramatically. The doctor felt that because baby Caleb was so small (4 lbs-8 oz) that he would not have enough reserve to tolerate the natural birthing process.

Caleb was born about 7:45 a.m., delivered by c-section. During the procedure the doctor discovered that the umbilical cord was wrapped around Caleb's neck very tightly. This of course explains why his heart beat dropped so dramatically each time Kelly had a contraction. His air way was being cut off. If not for the hand of God, guiding and giving wisdom to the doctor, Caleb could have easily died during natural birth. Instead, because of the mighty hand of God, he arrived crying loudly showing us he had very healthy lungs!

As I got quiet before the Lord today to give him "proper thanks" the tears began to flow. And I could not shut them off. I told the Lord how grateful I am for what he did. And I began, once again, to count our families' many blessings. I recalled the words of my brother saying, "I've watched. And God walks with your family".

I couldn't stop the flow of tears, not only because I was recalling so many blessings, but also because I was struck by how much our Heavenly Father loves us. Matthew 7:11 says, "If you then, imperfect as you are, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

My husband and I made a small sacrifice. We dropped everything, drove a long way, stayed awake all night, prayed; sat in hard hospital chairs, and waited. We waited patiently and excitedly for this new baby. And as we waited, the love that we have felt for him all these months started to bubble over. Jeremiah 1:5 says, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you". That's how we felt. This child that we had been praying for these last 9 months, we already knew him. And now here we are, sitting in the waiting room eager to finally meet him.

On our drive home we received several phone calls congratulating us. One of our friends jokingly said to my husband, "are you excited"? My husband joked back, "no, not really. I've done this before. OF COURSE WE'RE EXCITED"! You see, it didn't matter how many grandchildren we have, we love each one with a love that just can not be explained. There's a place in our hearts for each one that can not be filled by any other.

John 14:2 tells us that "In His house are many mansions". If we, being imperfect, love like this, how much more does our Father in Heaven love each one of his children? That's why the tears flowed today. Because I am amazed at the Father's love.

Monday, April 21, 2014

I love the simplicity of children. The way they think, their logic.My three year old grandson, Alex, knows that I keep Altoid mints in my purse and he loves them. When he asked me for some I told him that my purse was in my bedroom and I gave him permission to go get it. He went to my bedroom and I heard him calling out, "Helloooo.... Mimi's purse. Where are you?" Only a couple of days later he wanted to go downstairs to his room to get a toy, but he didn't want to go by himself. His mama reassured him that he was safe and it was okay to go. She kept telling him "you are safe" and each time she did he would cry and say "no." Finally he said, "no mama. I am not safe. I am Alex!" This boy truly lights up my world and is one of the biggest blessings my life has ever known!

Monday, May 21, 2012

Very recently our daughter Kelly got married to a lovely, godly man named Nathan. At their wedding reception there was the usual "first dance" between the bride and groom, followed by the traditional "Father/Daughter dance." Because Nathan's mother was not able to dance he chose to honor her in a different way. He gave a speech about his Mom in which he shared some childhood memories and other stories. He told us that his mother would always tell him, "the only thing I want is for you to follow after the Lord. That's all I want." It touched my heart deeply when Nathan talked about honoring his mother. He said that he had come to realize that the best way he could honor her was to follow after the Lord and he has pledged to do that.

It blesses me to see my daughter radiate happiness and joy, knowing that she is married to a man who honors his mother, will honor his wife, and who loves his God.

Monday, December 20, 2010

The funniest thing happened today. This is especially funny after writing what I just wrote about the cat burglars two days ago.

I bought both Ben and Jerry a toy and a can of Fancy Feast for Christmas. I wrapped each gift up and buried them under the other gifts by the winter village. This morning I woke up and Jerry (I caught him in the act, that’s why I know it was him) had dug out the gift that said “To Jerry from Santa” and had opened it. I came out into the living room to find a can of Fancy Feast, Jerry playing with his new toy, and a clawed up piece of Christmas paper on the floor! He had even managed to remove the toy from it's cardboard holder!